We are facing a major change in the way people access the internet, there is a major shift from desktop computers to smart phones and tablets.
In 2015, mobile Internet users will outnumber people accessing the Internet from PCs and other wireline devices, according to new information from International Data Corporation
Issues for web designers
- The screen size is really small
- Navigation is touch-based, not mouse-based
- Some technologies are not supported (ie. Flash on iphone)
Options for smaller organizations:
- Do nothing - your website will still display on the new devices (but the user experience is not great - too much zooming and scrolling)
- Design apps for each device (too expensive - too many platforms and devices)
- Design one web site that adapts and responds to the size and functionality of the device
We chose number 3 as the preferred solution and use a technique called Reponsive Web Design to ensure that your site is really useable on smaller mobile device.
How does responsive web design work?
- the website delivers content based on the size of the browser window
- for smaller devices, mutli-column layouts are converted to a single column layout that is easily readable
- images are scaled to fit the viewable window
- navigation is simplified to work with touch screen (drop down navigation is difficult to navigate with your fingers)
- flash content is replaced with the javascript that works on all devices
- email links are moved to the top of the screen so 1-click email links work properly
